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FESTIVE ROAD DIRECT ACTION TO SUPPORT WOMEN ON STAGE

FESTIVE ROAD has announced today the first activity in a planned programme designed to increase the number of women on the business travel industry’s conference stages.

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Nov 22, 2018

FESTIVE ROAD DIRECT ACTION TO SUPPORT WOMEN ON STAGE

FESTIVE ROAD, the world’s leading travel and meetings engagement consultancy, has announced today the first activity in a planned programme of direct action designed to increase the number of women on the business travel industry’s conference stages.

The company states that its overarching aim is “…in an industry which clearly celebrates female employment, our ultimate aim is to replicate that balance onstage at industry conferences.”

The first of this action sees Festive Road teaming up with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) to fund and develop a “Speaking Masterclass” for the sector to “…help women in travel management with confidence and tips on how to own the stage.”

The classes are open to any woman in business travel in the UK who feels they need support to speak effectively on stage, with a preference for those who haven’t spoken already at an industry event. The first is being held at the RADA Studios in London on the afternoon of the Business Travel Awards on 21st January 2019. A RADA instructor with a focus on supporting women in business will lead the Masterclasses supported by Caroline Strachan and Louise Kilgannon of Festive Road.

The introduction of the masterclass is being supported by Business Travel Show and ITM, both of whom have committed to sourcing speakers from the class cohort in order to widen stage gender diversity at their upcoming events.

Speaking about the programme, Festive Road managing partner Paul Tilstone said, “We know there are large numbers of talented, vocal women in this industry. Just look at who we have attracted to Festive Road as evidence of this. And yet we so often see stages with male dominated panels (or manels as we call them). We believe that by supporting the female community in our sector we can help to introduce a rich vein of new female speakers from whom we can learn.”

David Chapple, group portfolio director, Business Travel Show, added, “We are delighted to be supporting Festive Road with this initiative. We have some amazing women on our advisory board and our hosted buyer programme, and we would love to feature more women on the Business Travel Show conference programme as speakers, panelists and masterclass moderators.”

Karen Hutchings, Chair of ITM, stated, “Getting up on stage can be a daunting prospect, after all these years I still get nervous! Having a perspective and being prepared to speak is only part of the equation. It takes confidence in your ability to impart the message well and there’s no doubt that the women who embark on this masterclass and the industry itself will benefit from this great initiative.”

BUSINESS TRAVEL SHOW 2019 LOOKS TO THE FUTURE WITH TRAVEL 2022 THEME AND MAJOR FOCUS ON INNOVATION

As the Business Travel Show looks to the future on the eve of its 25th anniversary, the show’s organisers have unveiled a futuristic theme for 2019 alongside a host of new features

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Nov 06, 2018

BUSINESS TRAVEL SHOW 2019 LOOKS TO THE FUTURE WITH TRAVEL 2022 THEME AND MAJOR FOCUS ON INNOVATION

As the Business Travel Show looks to the future on the eve of its 25th anniversary, the show’s organisers have unveiled a futuristic theme for 2019 alongside a host of new features designed to enhance the visitor experience and prepare buyers for business travel over the next three years.

The theme - Travel 2022 - will focus on introducing travel buyers and managers to the technology, techniques and topics that will dominate the industry over the next three years. Sitting under the Travel 2022 theme will be:

NEWLAUNCH: WonderLAB

An interactive tech showcase where buyers can get hands on with the innovations that will impact travelling and travel management in the future, for example, driverless cars, drones, robots and mixed reality experiences. Exhibiting in the WonderLAB is free to anyone (exhibitors and non-exhibitors) as long as they have a product that fits the brief. Entries must be submitted before Christmas to adam.garside@centaurmedia.co.uk.

NEW LAUNCH: Future Forum

Future Forum is a new multipurpose theatre and communal space on the show floor where visitors can:

Take part in a series of brand-new Huddles, designed to provide informal educational and networking opportunities

Watch the fourth annual Disrupt Awards final led by head judge Nick Easen

DisruptLaunchpadandAwards

The Business Travel Disrupt Launchpad and Awards will return to the show for a fourth outing in 2019. Business travel start-ups under the age of three are invited to exhibit free of charge in the Disrupt Launchpad area (part of the WonderLAB) and enter the Disrupt Awards, the winner of which receives a free stand at Business Travel Show 2020, expert advice and marketing support.

Travel 2022 conferencesessions

This year’s Business Travel Show conference features a range of sessions focused on the future of business travel and travel management, including:

Creating an agile travel platform

Brexit and the global risk outlook

Introduce bots into your travel programme

An insight into the new skills you will need to win as a travel manager?

Business Travel Show group portfolio director David Chapple said: “Buyers attend Business Travel Show from all over Europe and beyond to network, do business and attend the conference sessions. But they also come to spot trends, be inspired by innovation and look that little bit further ahead so they can start visualising and planning their programmes in advance.

“We have nominated this year’s Travel 2022 theme to help them achieve exactly that, especially in the WonderLAB where they can conceptualise how travel – and travel management – may look by 2022, and the Disrupt Launchpad and Awards, where they can meet the creative whirlwinds behind the technology and solutions that will drive the evolution of our industry.”

The Business Travel Show is the leading event for corporate travel in Europe attracting over 9,000 professionals and 260 exhibitors. This year, hosted buyers attended from 25 countries mainly from within Europe. Each application is carefully vetted, and buyers must have an approximate travel budget of £1 million or more to be considered for a place on the programme.

The show will take place from 20-21 February 2019 at Olympia London.

Oct 26, 2018

BUSINESS TRAVEL SHOW CALLS ON START UPS TO APPLY FOR FREE DISRUPT LAUNCHPAD STAND

As online visitor registration opens for Business Travel Show 2019, the event’s organisers are calling on business travel start-ups to apply for a free stand in its Disrupt Launchpad.

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Oct 26, 2018

BUSINESS TRAVEL SHOW CALLS ON START UPS TO APPLY FOR FREE DISRUPT LAUNCHPAD STAND

2019 will be the fourth outing of the Disrupt Launchpad, which premiered at Business Travel Show in 2016. To qualify, businesses must be under three years old. Up to ten successful applicants will receive a free stand, expert advice and marketing support, valuable exposure to 9,000 industry professionals and European travel buyers with a collective budget of over £10 billion, plus automatic entry into the 2019 Disrupt Awards. Applicants can enter at https://www.businesstravelshow.com/whats-on/disrupt-awards/disrupt-application-form and entries close on 3 December.

The five finalists for the Disrupt Awards will be chosen through an open, online vote in January and invited to pitch to a panel of judges at Business Travel Show, which takes place at Olympia London from 20-21 February 2019. Last year’s Disrupt winner was TroopTravel, a platform that combines big data and learning to recommend meeting locations to buyers based on personal and company preferences, integrating visa requirements, cost, ease of travel and more. As part of its winner package, TroopTravel won a free stand at Business Travel Show 2019 worth £8,000.

Leonard Cremer, founder, TroopTravel, said: “We’re still a young start-up so it was great to get recognition from Business Travel Show. We came to Olympia for the chance to talk directly to potential customers and partners and it meant a lot to us to be appreciated and applauded for something we believe in so strongly.”

Business Travel Show event director David Chapple said: “Over the last four years, the Disrupt Launchpad has hosted some of the most exciting and potentially groundbreaking business travel solutions designed for the market and helped to propel the profiles of the entrepreneurs behind their development. We’re really looking forward to seeing another 10 gamechangers at the show next February.”

On June 11th, TroopTravel, a must-watch startup in the travel technology industry from Spain wins Eastern Europe’s leading technology startup competition at Techsylvania in Cluj, Romania with its business travel planning platform for globally distributed teams.

A total of 16 startups from 13 countries competed at Techsylvania for a curated trip to Silicon Valley to meet with investors, mentors, partners, and clients and in addition an exhibitor ticket at Techcrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco in September. Out of 280 startup applicants, the Spanish startup TroopTravel, emerged as the winner of the two day pitching competition. Voicu Oprean, founder of Arobs Transilvania Software who sponsors the competition says: “The development of a community is the entrepreneurial spirit and I am committed to supporting the innovative and real potential ideas.”

Dennis Vilovic, one of the founders of TroopTravel, stated:” This award is very important for us as an early-stage startup. It is our third award in our first year of existence and it adds the global recognition from the investor’s side.” TroopTravel previously won the Disrupt Award 2018 at the Business Travel Show in London, which is Europe’s leading event on business travel as well as the Hack-the-Journey 2018 Tech competition organized by Amadeus which is a leading technology provider in the travel industry.

TroopTravel just launched the alpha version of their strategic travel planning platform. Leonard Cremer, co-founder of TroopTravel mentioned: “We just released our new version and the client’s uptake is incredible. A number of large multi-national companies and leading travel management companies immediately joined our beta testing.” TroopTravel’s Alpha customer group covers markets from Australia to the United States with more than 230,000 employees combined.

The TroopTravel team will be traveling to Silicon Valley in September 2018 to talk to interested investors for their upcoming seed round of funding and to celebrate the official launch of its travel planning platform.

Apr 17, 2018

Business Travel Show Secures Record Hosted Buyer Attendance

This year’s Business Travel Show secured a record number of hosted buyers, seeing the highest ever hosted buyer attendance since the programme was launched in 2011.

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Apr 17, 2018

Business Travel Show Secures Record Hosted Buyer Attendance

2019 dates confirmed: 20-21 February

This year’s Business Travel Show secured a record 444 hosted buyers, up from 429 in 2017. An increase of 3.5 per cent, this is the highest ever hosted buyer attendance since the programme was launched in 2011, and post show research among buyers has given it an overall satisfaction rating of 4.6 out of 5.

The Business Travel Show is the leading event for corporate travel in Europe attracting over 9,000 professionals and 260 exhibitors. This year, hosted buyers attended from 25 countries mainly from within Europe. Each application is carefully vetted and buyers must have an approximate travel budget of £1 million or more to be considered for a place on the programme.

In return for committing to five pre-scheduled meetings, successful applicants receive an impressive package including complimentary travel and accommodation, attendance at the show’s after show dinner and party, and access to exclusive conference and networking content.

Richard Warren, Director Strategic Procurement – Europe, Ametek, said: “This year’s Business Travel Show was much busier and the stands were so good, my colleague and I extended our time to an extra day to meet more suppliers.”

Peter Forster, Buyer, Norbrook, added: “2018 was my first year attending Business Travel Show as a hosted buyer and I found it’s a much better way of being at the event; using the appointment system made it so easy.”

“The success of this year’s hosted buyer programme is not only testament to the investment we have made in finding and bringing the right buyers to the event for our exhibitors, but also to the quality of the content – including the networking, conference sessions and suppliers – we provide to buyers to attract them onto the programme and keep them coming back year after year,” commented Group Portfolio Director David Chapple.

“The hosted buyer programme is critical to the success of Business Travel Show – one of Centaur Media’s flagship events – and we are committed to continuing our investment of time and resources to ensure its future success.”

Applications for the 2019 Business Travel Show hosted buyer programme open in October. The show will take place from 20-21 February 2019 at Olympia London.

Mar 01, 2018

Over 9,000 Attend Business Travel Show 2018 As The European Travel Industry Unites For Business

More than 9,000 business travel professionals from all over Europe gathered to do business at Olympia last week for the 24th Business Travel Show.

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Mar 01, 2018

Over 9,000 Attend Business Travel Show 2018 As The European Travel Industry Unites For Business

2019 dates confirmed: 20-21 February

More than 9,000 business travel professionals from all over Europe gathered to do business at Olympia last week for the 24th Business Travel Show. With aisles swollen with networkers and exhibition stands crammed with big budget buyers and first time attendees, this year’s show was buzzing with energy and optimism.

Initial figures released this morning by organiser Centaur reveal 9,082 attendees were in the Grand and West Halls, an increase of 6 per cent year on year and the fifth consecutive annual rise. Early data also indicates a record hosted buyer attendance, up at least 4 per cent on last year’s 429.

Around 260 companies exhibited at the show, many with a bigger presence and showcasing some amazingly creative stands, including Booking.com’s festival theme featuring an inviting swing and a live jazz band, American Express Global Business Travel’s cinema foyer with popcorn, and CTM’s living flower wall and on-tap cocktails.

There were product launches aplenty and at least one new brand reveal in Fello. Direct ATPI also exhibited under its new moniker for the first time.

The Launchpad returned for a third year, providing a valuable springboard for eight exciting start-ups, and this year’s Business Travel Disrupt Award was won in a fiercely contested six-way battle by TroopTravel, which optimises travel to a common location for groups of friends or colleagues. FlightSayer, which analyses data to forecast flight delays, came a very close second.

The conference programme, with over 60 sessions and 150 speakers, was packed out, and keynotes included animated debate on NDC as well as Influence at Work CEO Steve Martin on the science of persuasion. Presentations can be downloaded for free from https://t.co/0dsmdZoBDI and https://t.co/YksSKYx512.

“This year’s Business Travel Show was just an incredible two days – there was not one minute when the swell of people slowed or the aisles fell empty. We had buyers saying they’d extended their visit to two days because there was so much to see, and exhibitors signing new clients on the spot. One company even had a walk on from a buyer with a multi-million pound unmanaged budget. The level of business happening at the show this year was simply unprecedented and everyone on the Business Travel Show team would like to thank all our buyers, exhibitors, sponsors and partners for a phenomenal two days,” said David Chapple, Business Travel Show portfolio director.

Feb 20, 2018

PredictX And Influence At Work To Launch Partnership At Business Travel Show

PredictX And Influence At Work To Launch Partnership At Business Travel Show

PredictX is exhibiting at the Business Travel Show in Feb 2018 and will use theevent as a platform to launch BehaviourX, in partnership with Influence at Work.

BehaviourX will build on work that PredictX and Influence at Work have been developing in retail and allow travel managers to combine behaviour science with predictive analytics to enable travel managers to positively influence travellers behaviour.

A large element of travel managers success depends on their ability to manage people’sbehaviour. It's the only sector where businesses typically have thousands of indirect buyers purchasing across multiple sectors (airlines, hotels and others).

Positively changing business travellers’ behaviour can result in large improvements in the efficiency of the travel management program. This requires:

● Understanding the different types of traveller in your business● Understanding how to influence them to make more cost efficient or productivechoices

PredictX and Influence at Work are partnering to solve these issues for travel managers.PredictX will use its expertise in data science to help understand who your travellers are and Influence at Work will use their behavioural science knowledge to help understand what the key drivers are that influence travellers’ behaviour, helping build a more effective travel program.

Steve Martin, CEO Influence at Work “We are excited to launch the partnership with PredictX as it will enable travel managers access to behavioural science techniques supported with predictive analytics, I look forward to seeing meaningful shifts in travellers behaviour as a result of this partnership”

Keesup Choe, CEO PredictX “Todays travel managers’ understand their success depends on their ability to influence people’s behaviour. Travel is unique in that there are thousands of indirect buyers making their own purchasing decisions. Positively changing business travellers’ behaviour represents the largest potential for realising saving whilst ensuring traveller satisfaction, we are excited to be partnering with Influence at Work to solve these issues for travel managers.”

Steve will be signing copies of his book “Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion” at the PredictX Stand (B464) at the Business Travel Show, which takes place 21-22 February 2018 at London’s Olympia.

To hear more from Keesup and Steve at the conference, don’t miss their keynote and panel sessions.

MagicStay Expands Its Signature Series With onefinestay

MagicStay.com, the apartment rental platform for business travelers, is expanding its upscale offering by distributing onefinestay apartments.

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Feb 19, 2018

MagicStay Expands Its Signature Series With onefinestay

MagicStay.com, the apartment rental platform for business travelers, is expanding its upscale offering by distributing onefinestay apartments.

MagicStay's Signature® range features a selection of upscale and design apartments, managed by professional agencies that pay particular attention to the quality of hospitality and services offered.

onefinestay, the world’s leading luxury private rental brand, is positioned in the 4 and 5 star range that can appeal to a business clientele. onefinestay is renowned in the hospitality industry for its high-touch service, which is always curated to each guest and stay. The company, which joined the AccorHotels group in 2016 offers a peace of mind promise which meets MagicStay’s quality and safety criteria.

More than 1,000 homes from onefinestay's portfolio in popular business destinations such as London, Paris, New York or Los Angeles complete the MagicStay Signature® range, offering distinctive and authentic accommodation in city centres.

Business travelers accustomed to a certain standard can find an exceptional level of service, with a personalized welcome at check-in, extended hours and assistance 24/7, taking charge of luggage, equipment and quality products offered in the apartment, as well as concierge services.

"We are delighted to be able to offer onefinestay's unique hosting offering, which is a strong demand for the MICE or bleisure segments," said Valery Linyer, CEO and co-founder of MagicStay.com.

MagicStay will exhibit at the Business Travel Show in London (stand B384) from 21 to 22 February 2018 to present all its solutions dedicated to business travel.

“One of the challenges corporate travel managers face when it comes to managing ‘invisible’ off-channel bookings is getting that data to their relevant downstream managed travel service providers, because those service providers don’t have a way to access that data if it isn’t booked via the TMC,” said Traxo Chief Commercial Officer Cara Whitehill, “By integrating with Traxo MARKETPLACE, these service providers are better equipped to support their clients who use Traxo CONNECT for off-channel data capture, which in turn gives corporate travel, procurement and finance managers more comprehensive access to the full scope of their travel spend and booking activity.”

First to pilot the Traxo MARKETPLACE end-to-end integration will be mutual clients of Traxo CONNECT, Business Travel Direct and TRIPBAM, whereby off-platform travel data captured via the Traxo CONNECT platform will be automatically and seamlessly integrated with both Business Travel Direct and TRIPBAM.

Traxo MARKETPLACE TMC partner Business Travel Direct's Managing Director Julie Oliver said, “Since implementing TRIPBAM price assurance for our clients in 2016, we’ve seen the tremendous savings it provides them for their GDS bookings but had been unable to provide that same price assurance capability for their out-of-program bookings, because we couldn't see them. Traxo MARKETPLACE will help us fill that gap and provide even more holistic service to our clients by capturing that out-of-program data and sharing it with TRIPBAM.”

Traxo MARKETPLACE differs from other solutions on the market because it supports integration of off-channel, out-of-program booking data beyond what is typically tracked by TMCs and global distribution systems (GDSs). This helps fill a critical gap in data management workflows and empowers corporate travel, procurement, and finance managers with comprehensive visibility into their total corporate travel spend, by aggregating off-channel booking activity and integrating it with downstream service providers like duty of care, expense management, TMCs, and price assurance services.

Traxo CONNECT is available for corporate clients now, at https://info.traxo.com/bts2018. For managed travel service providers interested in Traxo MARKETPLACE, contact business@traxo.com.

Feb 16, 2018

What's the True Cost Of A Business Trip? Clarity Uses Blended Data Insights To Get The Answer

In a *Business Travel Show* exclusive, Clarity will launch an industry
first, as they unveil their new approach to data insight, allowing travel
buyers to finally measure the true cost of business travel.

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Feb 16, 2018

What's the True Cost Of A Business Trip? Clarity Uses Blended Data Insights To Get The Answer

In a *Business Travel Show* exclusive, Clarity will launch an industry first, as they unveil their new approach to data insight, allowing travel buyers to finally measure the true cost of business travel.

Challenging the way that the industry currently reports, Clarity has developed a revolutionary new ‘blended data’ approach, revealing the elements that businesses could and should be tracking when calculating the cost of employee travel.

This includes embracing sentiment analysis as a vital tier of measurement, as well as productivity and social elements to give clients the first true picture of what a business trip really costs.

Darren Williams, Head of MI at Clarity, explains: “Our common approach as an industry is to work out the cost of travel at face value, typically by combining travel and expense data. However, the truth is there are many more scenarios that have commercial impact.

“It’s easy for companies to make assumptions such as asking travellers to drive to a meeting because it’s cheaper than a train ticket, but that doesn’t take lost productivity into account.

“However by blending data sets we can help clients make decisions that will put them in the best position to achieve what they want to achieve from a travel policy.

“For example, through analysis of social media sentiment, we can show how, by identifying which hotel chain gives travellers the best night’s rest, we are able to ask: is the budget option a false economy if employees are less likely to perform the next day? This data empowers, putting bookers in a position to make the most informed decision, one that enables travellers to deliver on the real reason for travel. We will show how, by blending data, we can identify the safest parts of town to book a hotel. This might mean opting for a more expensive hotel but one that ensures greater duty of care.

Pat McDonagh, CEO of Clarity, continues: “What we will be showcasing is all about the art of the possible and what we, as strategic, consultative TMC, can do for you.

“As consultants we have the capability to merge different data sets to really help you achieve a successful travel policy.

“We’re not here to dictate but to help you realise the important figures you should be tracking - and track those on your behalf.”

Williams concludes: “Data has never been more key. As an industry we need to be thinking at a granular level. We’re at a point where as business travellers we need to wring the towel to get the last drops of savings out. Identifying those marginal gains, using all the data available to businesses today, is critical in an industry where rates are possibly as low as they’re going to get.”

Williams will be showcasing examples of blended data via a series of one-on-one meetings at the show. To secure your spot call 0800 731 1627.

Feb 15, 2018

Why Are Legacy Chauffeur Companies So Expensive?

Legacy chauffeur companies charge travelers more than double what is necessary, according to global professional driver service Blacklane.

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Feb 15, 2018

Why Are Legacy Chauffeur Companies So Expensive?

A Price Comparison Across 20 Major Cities Shows that Outdated Business Models More than Double Costs and Impose Inflexible Policies

Legacy chauffeur companies charge travelers more than double what is necessary, according to global professional driver service Blacklane. Across a 20-city average, legacy limousine services cost 215 percent of Blacklane’s rates. In other words, Blacklane lowers these chauffeured black car fares by 54 percent.

Blacklane invented a new way to book professional drivers. The company partners with the fragmented landscape of local commercially licensed and insured drivers. Blacklane defines the service experience to provide a high and consistent quality standard in more than 250 cities and 50 countries around the world. This model reduces travelers’ fares and standardizes quality worldwide.

Feb 15, 2018

Upcoming Danish Startup Wants To Challenge The Way We Meet

Gaest.com, who’s already been named as one of Denmark’s top 10 upcoming businesses to watch, offers something new and potentially disruptive for the corporate travel business.

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Feb 15, 2018

Upcoming Danish Startup Wants To Challenge The Way We Meet

For more than 20 years, the Business Travel Show has showcased the most successful and cutting-edge companies in the travel industry. One of those companies is the meeting space marketplace newcomer,Gaest.com, who’s also been nominated for the prestigious Disrupt Award.

The Business Travel Show takes place between February 21-22 in Olympia, London. This event marries more than 7,500 European business travel professionals with disruptive brands like Airbnb, Uber and Danish MeetTech startup, Gaest.com.

Once voted one of the 25 most influential people in the business travel industry, Thorsen has seen trends and innovations come and go in the corporate travel world. What he sees in Gaest.com, however, is a platform that’s primed to make a significant contribution to the way we list, discover and book spaces, adding:

“One of the key trends in the travel industry is how companies are increasing their use of sharing economy services and technology. Gaest.com is an exciting new concept as they provide an open marketplace for companies and individuals to connect and list both existing meeting spaces as well as alternative locations.”

A whole new way to work

Co-founder and CEO of Gaest.com, Anders Boelskifte Mogensen believes Gaest.com gives the busy business traveler and professional more than just a way to find suitable meeting spaces. He’s convinced that Gaest.com offers organizations a whole new way to think about work:

“We foster the idea that companies and business travelers can benefit from relocating their meetings, workshops or even interviews to non-traditional, creative spaces like an upcycled ferry. Where we meet, we believe, is often just as important as why we meet.”

Facts and figures

Gaest.com is northern Europe’s largest online marketplace for listing, discovering and booking unique spaces. Founded in Aarhus, Denmark in October 2015, the startup now offers more than 3,000 unique venues in 10 markets.

Gaest.com was created with the ambition to make it easier, faster and cheaper to meet in spaces that spark creativity, motivate interaction and encourage knowledge sharing. We believe that face-to-face meetings are highly relevant the more digital-fixated we become. And with more people than ever living in urban environments and with property prices reaching unspeakable levels, we need to rethink how and why we meet. In short, we need to make meetings matter.